


Shadowhunters in the Huger Games

by boredomir



Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Shadowhunters, Hunger Games
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-03-24
Updated: 2016-03-25
Packaged: 2018-05-28 08:33:53
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,806
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6322411
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/boredomir/pseuds/boredomir
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>All the characters get thrown into the Hunger Games.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Reaping

Alec stared at his reflection. He wore a plain blue button-down shirt and black pants. His shirt was tucked in and his hair was combed and smooth, instead of its usual tousled appearance. He looked very presentable. 

Alec exited the room he shared with his brother. The house was impossibly quiet. He was used to his parents making a fuss about something or other and his two siblings either complaining or laughing. But today, everything was different. It happened every year since Alec had turned twelve. Since he became eligible to participate in the Hunger Games. And now, his baby brother was eligible too. All the Lightwood children were. And today was the day that the names would be drawn. Today was the Reaping.

He found his sister, Isabelle, sitting in her small bedroom. She was staring at the wall while she tried to braid her hair. She had already changed into a beige dress that did nothing to complement her figure; of course, looking good wasn’t the objective. The only thing that mattered was not being called forward as a tribute.

Alec stood in the doorway and watched as Isabelle attempted, for the second time, to fix her hair. Normally she wouldn’t have any trouble, but today her hands were shaking and her mind was on other things. Alec stepped forward and took over. Isabelle used to make him braid her hair when they were younger. She always wanted to spend time with him whenever they were both free from work, and she loved playing dress-up. Alec didn’t mind, in fact he loved it when they played and she was happy. Isabelle deserved that.

“Thanks,” she said as he began to handle her hair, pulling it back and separating it into three sections. Neither said anything for a few minutes. And, after Alec had finished fixing her hair, neither moved. 

Finally, Isabelle stood up and turned to face her older brother. “It’s your last year.” She smiled and rested a hand on his right arm. “After this, you’re free.”

“Izzy-”

“We just have to focus on the good, Alec. We can’t think about everything else, or we might go crazy.” She was so brave. Alec pulled her into his arms, hugging her close, like he did every year just before the Reaping. It was a silent plea that neither of them would be chosen, that they would be safe.

“We’re gonna be okay, Izzy.” He tightened his grip on her before letting her go. He stepped back and gestured for her to go ahead of him. Isabelle took a deep breath and squared her shoulders. She walked out of her room and went directly to the little kitchen in the middle of their modest house. Alec followed close behind.

Their parents, Maryse and Robert, were talking to a small boy with dirty blond hair. Max looked far too young to be taking part in the Reaping. He didn’t look any different than he had at nine years old. The thought of him going into the Hunger Games made Alec feel sick.

“Look how handsome you are!” Isabelle gushed as she approached Max and knelt beside him. She brushed off his shoulders and straightened his collar. Max wore an outfit that was identical to the one Alec had on. “You ready? We should get going.” Isabelle offered Max a reassuring smile and took his hand. “Just follow me, little brother. You’re gonna be fine.” As she passed Maryse and Robert, Isabelle nodded to them and reached out her free hand to briefly squeeze her mother’s arm. Alec watched her walk out of the house with Max by her side. People were starting to gather in the courtyard.

“We’ll see you after,” Robert said. Alec inclined his head to indicate that he had heard, then he walked out the door.

There were two lines that had formed at the entrance to the courtyard. Teenagers were waiting to be signed in by the Peacekeepers. Alec hurried to get in line behind Isabelle and Max.

The line moved relatively quickly. When they got to the front, Isabelle glanced back at Alec and gave him one last smile. Then she was gone, swept away in the crowd. Alec grabbed Max’s arm and leaned closer so he could talk quietly. “Follow the other kids your age and line up with them. It’ll be over soon.” Then Max was gone too. As Alec walked toward his section, with the other male eighteen year olds, the panic began to set in. He clutched his chest, feeling his heart beat rapidly. He was terrified.

This was his last year, but it was Max’s first. What if Max was called next year? Or the year after that? What if he was called when Alec couldn’t protect him? What if Alec was called this year? Who would take care of Isabelle when she had nightmares? Who would chase away her numerous suitors? Who would mentor Max at work? Who would make sure he properly balanced work and schooling?

Alec’s head shot up as a loud voice was projected over the crowd. It had started. Everyone was settled and now the propaganda video from the Capital, which played every year, was running. Alec stared at the screen, but he could barely see anything that was happening. It was like he was in a trance. His vision kept cutting in and out while his mind spun. He hated this feeling. The feeling of being absolutely helpless.

The video ended, and a man stepped forward to the microphone. He was dressed in, what Alec considered to be, a ridiculous outfit. It was all mismatched bright colors, and when he moved, he seemed to shimmer. Magnus Bane was his name. He had taken over as the escort for the District 7 tributes two years prior. Alec had never gotten a close look at him, not that he ever wanted to. The only way to get close was to be a tribute.

“Hello, ladies and gentlemen of District 7. As you all know, it is time to select the tributes for the 74th annual Hunger Games. So…..here we go. Ladies first.” Magnus moved toward a large glass bowl on his left. It was filled with slips of paper that had the names of all the eligible females in the District on them. Magnus stuck his hand into the bowl and dug around in it for about five seconds. Alec shifted impatiently, wishing that he would just choose and get it over with. Finally, he selected a name. Magnus walked back over to stand in front of the microphone. He brought the piece of paper up in front of his face and unfolded it.

“Isabelle Lightwood.” His voice was so smooth, it almost sounded like he was singing her name.

Alec’s whole world stopped. The crowd was completely silent, but there was a rushing sound in Alec’s ears, and he could’ve sworn he heard screaming. He watched in slow motion as Isabelle, his little sister, made her way to the stage. She wore a blank expression and he could tell that she was using every ounce of strength she had not to break down or show weakness. Alec’s heart beat painfully in his chest, and he could barely breathe. His little sister was going into the Games.

Magnus moved to the other bowl, the one on his right, and reached in to pull out the name of the male tribute. Alec’s eyes never left Isabelle. Even in her plain dress and with her jaw locked in a determined line, she was still so beautiful. She was brave and fierce. She could win, couldn’t she? She could come home. But what if she didn’t? What if she went into the arena alone and never came out?

“Ryan Rothchild.” Magnus read the name of the second tribute. Alec turned his head to watch as a boy of about fourteen or fifteen with messy light brown hair stepped out into the aisle between the boys and girls. He was on his way to the stage; on his way to stand next to Isabelle. He was on his way to die with Isabelle.

“I volunteer!” The words leapt from Alec’s mouth before he even knew what he was saying. And he started moving before he had even fully processed what he was doing. He pushed his way out into the aisle. His only thought was that he couldn’t let Isabelle go alone; he had to protect her, no matter the cost.

“I volunteer as tribute.”

The whole courtyard was silent. All eyes were on Alec. He forced himself to walk steadily forward. The Peacekeepers who had been escorting the boy, Ryan, stood back. Ryan stared at Alec, his eyes were wide and his chest was heaving. He was safe. Alec brushed passed him and the Peacekeepers. He took the stairs leading up to the stage two at a time and stood on Magnus’ right side. He didn’t once look at Isabelle. He didn’t want to see her face because he knew that looking at her might break him.

“Well...Looks like we have a volunteer,” said Magnus. Alec stared straight ahead. “And what is your name?” Magnus leaned closer to him. Alec could smell his cologne, or was it perfume? The scent caught him off guard. It was like walking into a garden in the middle of the woods. He turned his head slightly so he could see the man who was talking to him. As soon as did, Alec found himself looking into the most beautiful eyes he had ever seen. They were a fascinating mix between green and gold, and the pupils were slitted like a cats. They must have been contacts.

Alec startled at the sound of Magnus clearing his throat. “Your name?” The escort repeated the question, raising his perfect eyebrows. Alec scrambled to remember his name. Why couldn’t he think?

“A-Alexander Lightwood,” he finally managed to stammer out an answer. Immediately something changed in Magnus’ expression. His bright cat eyes seemed to darken and an intense sadness seemed to creep into them. Alec had a strong urge to wrap him up in a tight hug, like he always did to Isabelle whenever she was upset.

“Lightwood? Are you two related?” He waved a hand, gesturing between Alec and Isabelle. His voice was still overly cheerful, just like all the escorts, but now there was something else underneath it. Alec got the sense that he was hoping Alec would answer that he and Isabelle had no relation.

“She’s my sister.” He said it softly, but he knew that everyone could hear. He studied Magnus’ eyes again. He looked even more upset than he had before, and there was something else, something that almost resembled anger. But then Magnus turned away, breaking eye contact.

“Ladies and gentlemen, may I present your tributes for the 74th Hunger Games!”


	2. Brave but Stupid

Alec stood in a small, empty room. It was the holding area where the tributes got to say goodbye to their families before going to the Capital. He had been waiting for about five minutes; his parents had probably gone to see Isabelle first. 

Alec leaned against the far wall and stared up at the ceiling, taking deep breaths. This was the going to be the last time he ever saw his parents and his little brother. He was going to the Hunger Games, and he was going to die. His fate had been sealed the moment he had volunteered. There was no way he was going to win, even if he made it to the finale. He would take his own life at the end if it meant that Isabelle could walk away the victor. He would give up anything for her to win. He would give up his life; he would give up his humanity.

Alec had never killed anyone before. He had gone hunting plenty of times, and even gotten pretty good with a bow and arrow, but people were different than animals. He was sure he could do it. He was certain he could take a life if he had to, but he wasn’t sure what it would do to him.

The door to the room creaked open, and Alec immediately straightened his posture. He watched as the door slowly swung forward, revealing his family on the other side. His father was the first to approach him. He could tell by his red and puffy eyes that he had been crying. And now he seemed to be desperately trying to compose himself in front of his eldest child.

He stopped about a foot away from him and reached up to touch his shoulder. His grip was so strong it was almost painful, but it was also comforting. It felt almost like his father was trying to keep him grounded. To remind Alec why he was here, and what he had to do. 

“You protect your sister,” he said. “Whatever it takes.” Alec nodded his understanding. Robert knew exactly why he had volunteered. He knew that Alec had no intention of returning home. But if Alec could fight alongside Isabelle; if he could help her; if he could protect her, then maybe Robert could get one of his children back from the Games.

Alec pulled him into a brief hug, wrapping his arms around his father like he was kid seeking protection from the world. “I promise,” he whispered.

Maryse was next. As soon as Robert extracted himself from Alec’s arms, Maryse enveloped her son in a tight embrace. It only lasted about a second before she pulled away. She gripped Alec’s face, covering his cheeks with her hands, and she fixed him in an intense gaze.

“Listen to me, son,” she said with a strained voice. “If something happens- if Isabelle doesn't make it but you’re still alive, you have to fight. Do you understand? One of you has to come back to us.” Alec didn’t say anything, he just stared at his mother. Never once had it crossed his mind that he should keep going if he lost Isabelle. He couldn’t imagine life without her, it was too horrible to think about. Izzy was the most important person in his life. He loved his parents and Max with all his heart, but Isabelle was his best friend. She knew him better than anyone and vice versa. He planned to either help her live, or die with her. 

But maybe that was selfish. The way his mother was looking at him, pleading and on the verge of tears, could he really refuse to promise her that he would fight for his own life as well as Izzy’s? Alec swallowed and forced himself to acknowledge her request with a nod of his head. As soon as he saw some of the tension in his mother’s eyes dissipate, Alec stepped away from her. He didn’t want to look at her again until the image of Isabelle lying dead in an arena was gone from his mind. Instead, he approached his baby brother. He knelt down in front of Max and did his best to smile at the boy.

“Promise me you’ll be good, okay? You have to keep up with your studies and work extra hard to help mom and dad with work. Can you do that, Max?” For a moment, Max did nothing. He didn’t move or speak. Then he practically ran at Alec. He slammed into Alec’s chest and wrapped his small arms around Alec’s neck, clinging to his older brother. It took Alec off guard. He had always thought that Max viewed him as his ‘boring older brother.’ Sometimes he even thought that Max hated him because Alec was always telling him what to do, making him do his chores and never letting him skip a lesson. But now his little brother was hanging onto him like he never wanted Alec to leave his side. And Alec didn’t want to go. He wanted to stay with his family in their small house, with their dead-end jobs, and their dead-end lives. He wanted to live a mundane life if only it meant he could live. But that wasn’t the world he lived in.

Too soon, the door opened and Peacekeepers came in to escort Robert, Maryse, and Max out of the room. Alec watched as they exited, taking one last look at his family. He would never see them again. He just hoped that his parents wouldn’t allow Max to watch as his older brother took the lives of other children, before dying himself. 

It didn’t take long for more Peacekeepers to appear, ready to escort Alec to the train that would take him and his sister away from their home. Alec walked forward; he suddenly felt tired. It wasn’t the type of exhaustion that seized him after hours of swinging an axe at work; this was a kind of fatigue that made his head hurt and made him want to sit in a corner and cry. He was tired of being helpless. But there was nothing he could do about it. 

As he walked, surrounded by four Peacekeepers, he saw Isabelle. She also had a small entourage of guards. They were slightly ahead of Alec, so all he could see was the back of her head. But soon they would be on the train together. Alec could only imagine what she would do once the guards left. She might kill him before they even made it to the Games. But he was about to find out just how angry she was; they were almost to the train. It was huge and silver. The outer surface was smooth and shiny. It was beautiful in its intricate simplicity.

But, as alluring as the outside of the train was, the inside was a kind of splendor that Alec had never even dreamed of. There were large crystal chandeliers hanging from the ceiling and there were tables stuffed with assorted pastries and delicacies that Alec had never seen before. So this was the compensation the Capital offered the tributes before they were slaughtered.

The Peacekeepers had left as soon as Alec had entered the train and the door had shut. Now he stood at the front of one of the cars of the train. Isabelle was right in front of him, and in front of her were two men. He recognized them both. One was the escort, Magnus Bane, still dressed in his bright, glittery clothes. The other was named Hodge Starkweather. He was a past victor from District 7; he would be their mentor.

But Alec didn’t have much time to process everything he was seeing before a sharp pain assaulted the left side of his face. Accompanying the pain was a loud smack that seemed to echo through the cabin. Alec had been slapped before, but never so hard that it made him dizzy. Alec turned his head to look at his sister, but as soon as he made eye contact, she hit him again. She was stronger than she looked. Of course Alec had seen her swing an axe and he had seen her carry logs that outweighed him; he knew she was strong. But he didn’t particularly appreciate her strength when she was channeling it toward him and his face. Alec had to blink back tears, and she still wasn’t done. Isabelle raised her hand to hit again, but thankfully she was stopped. Hodge grabbed her wrist. He was a fair bit bigger than Izzy, about a head taller and much broader, but he was nowhere near as big as Alec. But his intervention seemed to persuade Isabelle to stop physically attacking her brother, instead she began her verbal assault.

“Idiot! How dare you! How dare you throw your life away! It was your last year, Alec! You were safe! How could you do this!” Hodge now had a firm grip on both of Isabelle’s arms, keeping her restrained. She had started struggling to get Alec about halfway through her outburst and there were tears streaming down her cheeks. Alec’s heart twisted painfully as he watched his sister begin to breakdown. All the emotions she had been suppressing since her name was called were being unleashed. He wanted to comfort her, but he knew he couldn’t, not now at least. He couldn’t do anything until her anger lessened enough for him to get close without receiving some sort of injury.

She was sobbing now. She stopped struggling against Hodge and instead leaned against him, using him to keep herself from collapsing. “How could you?” She choked out. Then her body was racked with sobs and she couldn’t say anything more even if she wanted to. Alec started to move toward her; he needed her to understand, he didn’t want his sister mad at him when they only had a short amount of time left to spend together. But as he approached, Hodge held up a hand to signal for him to stop. He put an arm around Isabelle’s shoulders and steered her away from Alec, toward a door at the far end of the cabin.

“It’s probably best if you give her some time to calm down.” Alec turned his attention to Magnus, now the only other person in the room. His voice was musical, it had an almost lilting quality that made Alec feel safe. And even with those cat-eye contacts, Alec could still see kindness and sadness in his eyes. He found that he wanted to stop pretending in front of Magnus. He wanted to stop pretending to be strong and brave, he just wanted to curl up and let himself feel every single emotion he had ever had. Magnus’ eyes made him want to be vulnerable and weak for once in his life before the end. But he couldn’t. Instead, Alec turned his gaze away and silently nodded.

“Volunteering for your sister’s sake, that’s brave,” said Magnus. He shifted closer and leaned his head into Alec’s line of sight. “Brave, but stupid.” Alec gave in and met Magnus’ eyes.

“I have to protect her, no matter what,” Alec defended himself, justifying his actions to a complete stranger.

“I understand that,” Magnus replied, “but now your family will lose two children to the Games.” There was something in his voice that sounded like a challenge, like he was baiting Alec with his words. And Alec couldn’t help but respond.

“No, they’ll only lose one. Izzy will live.” He put as much conviction as he could in his statement. And he stared into Magnus’ curious eyes, daring him to issue another challenge. But the escort backed away, keeping his gaze fixed on Alec as he headed towards the door that Hodge and Isabelle had disappeared through.

“Brave but stupid.”


End file.
